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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · jam · calf · saw · kid · pass · row · bowl

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — for sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. court — of a king
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — child
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. court — of law
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com